


Your Heart and Soul Is What I Came For

by i_am_girlfriday



Category: Roswell (TV)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-19
Updated: 2012-12-19
Packaged: 2017-11-21 15:06:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/599143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_am_girlfriday/pseuds/i_am_girlfriday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in the first 24 hours post-Graduation (series finale).  Isabel thinks a lot about life, love, family, and friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Your Heart and Soul Is What I Came For

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tarie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tarie/gifts).



> Thank you to my beta, [katayla](http://katayla.livejournal.com/).
> 
> The scene I mention in _Damn Yankees_ is [here](http://youtu.be/6kjQmgm0r4g). The song, _Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets_ , sung by Sarah Vaughan, inspired the title and you can listen to it [here](http://youtu.be/-g5YNPzr8NM).

Isabel stared out the window as the miles passed, the horizon endless. She tried to ignore Liz and Max making lovey-dovey faces at each other in the front. Seeing them so happy was like salt in her self-inflicted wounds. Isabel knew she couldn’t let Jesse come with her, keeping him would have been selfish, even by her standards. 

Kyle tried to nap next to her before his turn at the wheel, but he was restless, unable to get comfortable on the vinyl bench. She could tell he was conscious of her next to him. He tried not to bump her, or cross that invisible line in the middle of their seat. Isabel glanced behind her and noticed that Michael did not have the same compunction. He had one leg stretched out on the back seat and he had pulled Maria to him, holding her tenderly.

Isabel expected Michael and Maria to fall back into their routine of sniping and squabbling. She prepared herself for some heavy eye rolling, but after nearly twenty-four hours on the road they hadn’t said anything above a whisper. Maria didn’t even raise her voice when Michael changed lanes erratically in the heavy Los Angeles traffic.

Isabel wondered when or if they’d ever stop for longer than a bathroom break or fast food. Her hair was limp and greasy, and her mouth tasted of road grit. She could tell everyone was terrified. No one suggested stopping--their perpetual rotation of drivers nervously checked the rearview mirror to make sure they weren’t being followed.

Liz yawned as they passed yet another exit heading north on Highway 101. Her lead foot had finally let up after they put another sixty miles between their VW bus and Vandenberg Air Force Base. Every military base they passed along the way brought a fresh onslaught of terror. Max sat upright in his seat, and Isabel could tell he was deep in thought. She noticed his hand as it brushed up against Liz’s leg. Liz looked at him, and caught him nodding his head toward a gas station. Liz turned off the road and pulled up to the pump.

Kyle was the first out of his seat, already refueling the van and scraping the bugs off the windshield. Liz, Maria, and Isabel trekked toward the bathroom. Isabel waited her turn and went last. She splashed cold water on her face and patted her face dry with a rough paper towel. When she exited the facility, Maria was waiting for her with water and a small bottle of mouthwash.

“Is this some sort of hint?” Isabel took a swig before Maria could answer.

“I think we’re all feeling a little funky.” Maria dug a comb out from her purse and ran it through her hair before putting it into a messy ponytail. She handed the comb to Isabel next.

“How much longer do you think we’ll be driving?” Isabel whined. She watched the sun start its descent again.

“How long until the wheels fall off?” Maria wandered back to the car and offered the bottle to the others.

Isabel returned to the bathroom to tease out the remaining tangles of her up-do, and took a last look at herself in the mirror. There were bags under her eyes that even the best concealer couldn’t hide. She headed back to the van and watched as Kyle fiddled with something near the engine and made a face. No one was willing to say it, but they were glad Kyle was there. Without Kyle, Isabel and Max and Michael would have used their alien powers to try to keep the car running, and that generally never worked in their favor. 

Maria was busy picking up the litter from the van, and refilling discarded water bottles from a large jug she had purchased. She pulled out a Sharpie and labeled the bottles. She rearranged their pile of personal belongings in the trunk area, clucking quietly about the mess everyone was making. Isabel found her mothering act endearing, and it struck her, too, how she was begrudgingly happy Maria was there with them.

Michael, Max, and Liz were having a heated discussion about their next move. Isabel joined them in the hopes that rest was in the near future. For once, it seemed like Max and Michael agreed that they should keep going, and only Liz suggested stopping to get some much-needed sleep. 

Kyle interrupted the debate. “We should get some rest tonight and let the engine cool down. It needs oil. I think one of the hoses is leaking, and I don’t like the way the rear tires are looking. We push any further and we might end up on the side of the road.”

“I saw a sign for a motel a half mile up. Let’s finally stop to sleep, and then once the van is ready, we’ll get back on the road.” Isabel pleaded.

Michael and Max exchanged a look, and agreed it was their only option if they didn’t want to risk a broken down vehicle. The group piled back into the van, and headed up the highway in tense silence. 

When they pulled into the parking lot of the motel, Max finally spoke. “No one goes wandering off alone. Pair up, or stick to the group. Keep a low profile. We need to organize and regroup, figure out our next move.” 

Something about Max’s tone set Isabel’s teeth on edge. It was a given that everyone should be careful. She hated that he treated everyone like a child. Liz and Max got out and went to the office to see about renting rooms. Isabel leaned against the cool glass of the window and stared off toward the mountains, imagining the ocean was right beyond them. As they snaked up the coast, she felt drawn to the water; it was elusive now, out of her grasp like so many other things. When Liz and Max came back with keys, Isabel grabbed one and tripped out of the van past Kyle. She didn’t want to be there for the awkward divvying up of rooms. Isabel knew that Max wouldn’t give her much choice in the matter. 

Isabel found the room number that matched the key and threw open the door. She tossed her purse on one of the beds, claiming space, refusing to be relegated to a rollaway cot, or worse, the floor. She couldn’t decide who would be worse roommates--Kyle, who would needle her into unscrambling porn stations on the cheap motel TV, or Max and Liz whispering sweet nothings to each other in the bed next to her. She made an involuntary gagging noise at the thought.

She was channel surfing and sulking when Maria entered the room. Isabel groaned inwardly. She didn’t anticipate having to share a room with the recently reunited love birds.

“I brought you your bag.” Maria set it down at the foot of the bed and then moved to the empty one. She sat down to test out its firmness.

“You shouldn’t have bothered. I think I’d rather sleep in the van than listen to you and Michael all night.”

“What?” Maria made a face at her. “Michael’s bunking with Kyle.”

Isabel did a double-take. “I thought you and Michael were back together.”

Maria smiled ruefully. “Isabel, Michael and I were barely speaking a day ago. Fixing a relationship isn’t as easy as just showing up and joining a cross-country escapade to evade the Feds.”

“Well, you two seemed awfully chummy for the last thousand miles or so.” Isabel muttered as she crossed her arms over her stomach.

Maria got up from her spot and flopped next to Isabel on her bed. Isabel looked at her cautiously. Her proximity was disarming.

“Michael and I talked back at that grubby pit stop by Joshua Tree. We decided that if we’re going to make this work, we have to start from the beginning.”

“That was a mutual decision?” Isabel smirked.

Maria sighed. “Okay, maybe it was more my idea than his, but I think he understands where I’m coming from. It’s just that...it’s going to be hard rebuilding a relationship with an audience, you know?”

Isabel frowned, feeling guilty for how much she judged Maria and Michael’s heated arguments and roller coaster relationship. Her marriage with Jesse only seemed to work as long as he knew next to nothing about her. Michael and Maria may have bickered like crazy, but there was bravery and honesty in their communication. Isabel didn’t have a lot of either in her relationship. It was easy to blame her marital problems on Max and Michael forbidding her from telling Jesse the truth, but she knew deep down that nothing would have stopped her if she really wanted to be honest. 

Maria watched her carefully and then continued. “I think for the first couple hundred miles you were all waiting for the great Deluca-Guerin blowout of 2002. I could feel the collective breath you were all holding.” 

“I just assumed that since you were all over each other in the van, you were picking up where you left off.” Isabel teased.

“We all need human contact.” Maria smiled knowingly and laughed.

Isabel rolled her eyes at the irony. Before she got involved with Jesse, she hadn’t understand the basic desire for human contact. Aside from Michael and Max’s brotherly hugs and familial love from her parents, Isabel had been standoffish, even relished her icy social status at school. Though she’d always wanted to be normal, she denied her human side any sort of emotional or physical connection at almost every turn.

Maria regarded her carefully. “He’d be the last person to admit this, but he’s an affectionate kind of person. Michael never really had anyone to give him that kind of connection. ”

Maria always managed to do that--say that which was unspoken and clarify something so misunderstood. It was enough to shake Isabel from her self-indulgent pity party. She had left Jesse and her parents back in Roswell; Liz, Kyle, and Maria all had families who’d miss them too. Michael had no one who would miss him, no one who’d be waiting for him if or when they ever returned.

“I really hope this time you two stick.” Isabel finally managed, her voice thick with emotion she didn’t know how to convey.

“Thanks. So...you’re okay with me as your roommate? You’re not really going to sleep in that stinky van are you?”

Isabel grinned. “It _does_ stink.”

“Isabel,” Maria put her hand on her arm gently, “I hope I haven’t been so bad of a friend that you’d question, or think even for a second, that I really don’t want to hurt you or be insensitive in any way. I can’t imagine what you’re going through...leaving Jesse behind, and I wouldn’t want to add insult to injury. And, well, I can’t really imagine anything worse than having to share a room with Kyle or Michael or even Max and Liz.”

Isabel tried hard not to bristle at the thought of being a third wheel even when fleeing from an FBI alien-hunt. She fought her natural instinct of feeling excluded. Maria had proven herself over the years to be supportive, even friendly, and yet Isabel seemed to take disproportional pleasure in ignoring her and being offended by her.

“They _can_ be pretty insufferable.” Isabel mocked.

Maria sighed and got up to rifle through her small bag. She looked defeated, like she knew Isabel wasn’t going to make things easy.

Isabel relented. “...As far as roommates go, I am glad it’s you and not one of the others. So...thank you.”

Maria looked up and smiled slightly. “Do you want to get dinner?”

“I’m not really hungry.”

“Come on, Isabel, chili cheese Fritos with half a bottle of Tabasco is hardly a meal.”

“I feel gross. I need a shower.” Isabel whined. She wanted to say yes, but a part of her just wanted to stay in and mope under the covers. “I’m sure the whole buddy system isn’t necessary if I’m just going to lock the door and watch TV.”

There was a knock at the door. Maria went to check the peephole. “It’s Liz and Max.” She opened the door to her friends.

“Max and I are going to check out that diner across the street. Do you guys want to join us?” 

“I’m trying to talk Isabel into going to dinner in a bit. After we eat, we can look for a store and get a change of clothes, maybe some pajamas, and essentials for everyone.”

“That’d be nice. If you get us stuff, I’ll see if I can find a place to do laundry.” Max gave her a look that caused Liz to blush. “Late night laundry.” She added. 

Isabel rolled her eyes, remembering Liz’s inane fantasies when she dream walked her a few years ago.

Maria glanced back at Isabel and they shared a look. “Won’t it be so nice to sleep in something other than that rumpled skirt, Isabel? Come on, what do you say? Dinner and then retail therapy?” 

Isabel liked the idea of shopping, but wondered how they were going to pay for new stuff. Max had about a grand in cash, but with the amount of stops they’d made for gas and food for six people, and now motel rooms, she wasn’t sure it would last them much longer.

“Are we buying this stuff with our good looks or what?” From her spot on the bed Isabel could see her brother roll his eyes and hand over some cash.

Maria waved the two hundred dollar bills obnoxiously. “It’s not going to get us designer duds, but this’ll stretch alright at a thrift store and Target.”

“You can’t be serious.” Isabel scoffed.

“Maria’s a vintage shopping pro. You’re in good hands.” Liz giggled. “Okay, well if you change your minds, feel free to join us for dinner.” 

Maria waved as she shut the door.

“I know you’re used to the finer things in life, but I swear, shopping with me is going to be more fun than hanging out here with these paper thin walls and your brother and Liz next door.”

“Ew, gross!” Isabel laughed as she launched a pillow at Maria’s head. “Okay, fine, let’s go eat. Just promise me we aren’t having dinner with Max and Liz. I’d like to keep my food down.”

“Noted. Shall we see about the boys?” Maria grabbed her sweater and handed Isabel her purse.

“I suppose company would be okay.” Isabel was trying to be friendly, and that was a start.

Isabel and Maria talked the guys into sushi. It was the first time Kyle had tried it. He and Michael egged each other on to see who could tolerate the most amount of wasabi. It was an easy win for Michael. 

The four of them blended in with the college aged crowd easily. Aside from the constant gnawing fear of being apprehended, Isabel relaxed enough to enjoy the company and her first actual meal in over a day. 

Kyle convinced Maria to be his wingman, and together they went to chat up a group of girls with Cal Poly sweatshirts. Michael and Isabel sat silently for a moment. She liked that they could communicate with just a look, it made her feel less alone.

“Maria says you’re going to take things slowly.” She drawled.

“Her exact words were that ‘we should go back to being friends and then date.’” He rolled his eyes. “My girlfriend wants me to date her. Have you ever heard of something so--”

“--Romantic?” She interjected. 

He made another face, one that conveyed his own insecurities.

“I think it’s sweet.”

“You think it’s so sweet, feel free to help me out here.”

Isabel grinned. “Are you saying you’d actually take my advice?”

“You always love a project.” Michael grumbled.

She rubbed her hands together. “I do!” Isabel couldn’t believe that this was what passed for entertainment. “Okay, so I was thinking that since grand gestures are out, you’ll have to settle for something small. Like, ooh! Tonight, after Maria and I go shopping, maybe you and Maria could go to the grocery store together?”

“Why? Does the frozen food aisle get her going or something?”

“Don’t be crass.” She threw her napkin at him. “No, it’ll be romantic. You’ll open the door for her, push the cart, that sort of thing.”

“And why are we going to the grocery store?”

“Maria said we could save money by shopping for food at a grocery store, rather than eating out and buying from a gas station. She mentioned something about getting an ice chest and making sandwiches for the road.” Isabel explained. 

To be honest, Isabel wasn’t used to worrying about money. She’d always had a nice allowance from her parents, and she moved directly from their house to her husband’s. She suspected that Maria, Michael, and Kyle might be the only ones prepared for this amenity-free and luxury-less road trip.

Michael had a funny look on his face, like he wanted to say something but was still struggling with the words. “You okay?” He managed.

Isabel looked down and played with her chopsticks. “It’s hard.”

Michael brushed her hand with his. “I know.”

Isabel held onto his hand for a moment and studied him. There was tenderness about him; it had always been right beneath the surface. The trouble was Isabel had never felt comfortable with that side of Michael.

Kyle and Maria returned with names and numbers of a few of the co-eds. Kyle was beaming and Maria was laughing at him. He was so proud of himself, nevermind that he couldn’t actually call any of them. Isabel felt another pang of resentment. She felt like her life, and the lives of her friends, had been stolen. They were young, but they were not carefree.

“Shall we blow this joint?” Maria asked.

The four of them made their way to the exit. Isabel stopped and hung back with Kyle. 

“You should see if you can meet up with those girls later. I’ll go with you.” She offered.

Kyle looked at her with drool practically dribbling down his chin. “Are you serious?”

Isabel grinned and nodded. Max only said they had to buddy up--he never said they couldn’t have fun.

Kyle went back to the group, approached a red head and a minute later he came back with a bounce in his step.

“Her housemates are having a party later. It’s close by.”

“Excellent. It’ll give me a reason to avoid the motel.” Isabel rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, the walls are kind of thin.” Kyle joked.

Isabel and Kyle caught up with Maria and Michael who were talking on a bench. They meandered down the street until they hit one of the thrift stores that Maria had wanted to visit. The boys stood watch by a tree while the girls went in to shop.

Maria was quick. She pulled out shirts for the boys and checked the sizes she’d written down on a little piece of paper. Pants were a little trickier, but Isabel promised she could offer her alteration services if needed. In the women’s section they found a lot of great things--new and hardly used stuff. Isabel was shocked, and also a little embarrassed. She had a closet full of things she never wore back at home. After getting what they needed at the thrift store, they headed to a lingerie shop. The boys made crude sounds until Maria flipped them off. 

“I thought you said we were going to shop at Target for underwear. We don’t have much money left.” Isabel looked longingly at a nice quality bra way out of their price range.

“I have a different set of funds.”

“Like what, a five finger discount?”

“No! I have my own money. And I can’t think of a better way to spend it than on supporting the girls. What’s Max going to say? Can you imagine his embarrassment if we start talking about underwire bras and bikini briefs?”

“You’re a sick puppy.” Isabel laughed and she couldn’t remember having this much fun with Maria, maybe ever.

After dropping everything off at the motel, the group of four separated. Maria and Michael went on their supermarket date, and Isabel and Kyle headed off to the party. Kyle kept Isabel’s mind off of things while they walked. They’d always been able to find an easy rhythm of conversation. First, Kyle wanted help with a cover story, and soon they were working on aliases for both of them.

“How about Johnny? Sounds like a heartbreaker, huh?” Isabel glanced at her friend.

Kyle nodded his approval.

“Johnny is from Chico and he recently enlisted in the Navy. There have to be a few patriotic ladies who might want to send off a sailor with something to remember.” She teased.

“Ooh, you’re good.” They engaged in their silly handshake. 

“I’m Johnny and you’re Rebecca, Bex, for short. You’re my pal from back home, but you’re going to be a sophomore at Cal Poly. Think you can fake it?”

Isabel grinned maniacally. “I’m an anthropology major and I hate my roommate, Laurel.” 

“You’re showing your good friend Johnny around town.” Kyle stopped in front of the house they’d been looking for and smiled at Isabel. “Ready, Bex?”

“Come on, Johnny Football.” Isabel placed her hand in the crook of his arm, and together they entered the noisy house party.

Bass thumped and rattled the windows. A group of people were playing beer pong, and someone was doing a keg stand. The pretty red head had changed out of her sweatshirt into something Isabel thought was a little skanky for her taste. She tried not to roll her eyes, and tucked away her commentary--she’d save that for Maria. Kyle got in line for the keg and offered to get Isabel a Dixie cup to hold. Isabel sauntered up to the red head and introduced herself.

“Hi, I’m Bex.” Isabel gave the woman her best fake smile.

“I’m Diana.”

“I think you met my friend earlier.” Isabel pointed at Kyle and he smiled at the two of them.

“Yeah, I did, but I didn’t get his name. I was with a group of girlfriends and they were being kind of loud and obnoxious. Sake bombing, you know how it goes.” She said by way of explanation.

“Right. His name is Johnny.”

“He’s cute. I didn’t think he was serious about wanting to come to the party.”

“Maybe he wasn’t serious about the party, but he was definitely serious about you.” Isabel felt almost bad for laying it on so thick, but it was all in the name of being Kyle’s wingman.

Kyle approached them and handed Isabel her cup that held mostly foam.

“Johnny, this is Diana.” She patted him on the shoulder and stepped back. “I think I see someone from my anthro class. Why don’t you two talk?” Isabel said cheerfully and then disappeared.

Isabel wandered through the house to see if there were any unoccupied rooms, but they all seemed to be taken by either couples or groups of friends taking turns with a bong. Isabel sighed and decided to look for a spot outside to wait out the evening. She found a picnic table in the backyard with abandoned plastic cups and an ash tray. She looked around for a trash can to dispose of the debris. After cleaning up the best she could, she laid down on top of it. It wasn’t very comfortable, but it gave her a good vantage point to watch the stars.

Isabel let the scent of cheap college weed and even cheaper beer waft around her. She thought about Jesse and her parents and of the life she left behind in Roswell. It hurt so badly that it took her breath away. For the first time since they left home, Isabel was truly alone. There was no one watching her, no prying eyes. So she cried silently. She let the tears come fast and heavy. She wondered if it was possible to drown in them. 

Eventually her crying subsided. She breathed in deeply and counted stars. She looked for the familiar constellation and tried to feel some sort of connection to it, but the truth was that her world was here on Earth. For better or for worse, home was with five other people stuffed like sardines in a VW bus.

Long after midnight, Kyle found Isabel outside atop her picnic table. He extended his hand to her. “M’lady. Shall we retire for the evening?”

“Yes, let’s go before I turn into a pumpkin.”

Kyle laughed as he pulled her to a standing position.

“Did you have fun with Diana?”

Kyle blushed. “A gentleman never kisses and tells.”

“Let me know if you see a gentleman.” Isabel made a show of looking around them.

“Very funny, Bex.”

Kyle and Isabel walked back to the motel, and Isabel goaded Kyle into dishing the dirty details. Kyle seemed to really be taken with Diana, enough to try and discourage their cheap, tawdry hook-up. He’d told her that he was just passing through. Diana didn’t seem to mind, though she told him she appreciated his valiant effort. 

“Well, you seem pleased with yourself.” Isabel chucked him on the shoulder as they approached the motel.

“What can I say...” Kyle guffawed. “Hey, thanks for coming out with me. I hope you weren’t too weirded out or bored.”

Isabel shuffled her feet outside her door. “It was no big deal. I did some star gazing and some deep thinking. It was nice to escape and be alone for a little while.”

Kyle squeezed her hand affectionately and she returned the gesture. He stood with her while she knocked on her motel room door. Maria answered it quickly and everyone said their goodbyes for the evening. Michael and Kyle returned to their room next door and Maria locked the door with the security latch. 

When Maria turned to her she asked Isabel how her night had gone. Isabel told her a little about the party, while Maria went to wash her face and brush her teeth. With Maria’s back turned, Isabel examined the room. She couldn’t help herself--she sniffed the air to check for tell tale signs that Michael and Maria had gone from friends to _friends plus_. 

The room was clean and revealed nothing. There was an empty carton of ice cream on the bedside table. There was an ice chest in the corner of the room. Isabel went to investigate. She peeked inside and saw a jug of milk, some fruit, pre-cut veggies, lunch meats, and condiments. Next to it was a bag with paper plates, bowls, plastic utensils, napkins, a loaf of bread, a box of cereal, and some other assorted snack items.

“Looks like you’re ready to feed an army.”

“It’s probably only enough food for a day and a half, max.” Maria said as she flossed her teeth.

Isabel nodded her head. “It was really nice of you to offer to shop for us.” It was something that Isabel would have ordinarily taken on herself. Truthfully, she wasn’t really feeling like herself. She felt raw and tetchy, scatterbrained--like she had various times over the last couple of years when alien troubles overshadowed her human ones.

“I don’t mind. My mom and I used to trade off doing the shopping.” 

Isabel sat awkwardly at the edge of her bed.

“There’s a fresh set of clothes for tomorrow and some pajamas. Liz and Max did a load of laundry.” Maria pointed to the closet. “Liz said she’d toss in our clothes from tonight, first thing in the morning. Just put them in that plastic bag by the door.” Maria had already changed into her pajamas and was settling into bed. “Why don’t you take a hot shower. You look like you could use one.”

Isabel stood and grabbed her pajamas from the closet and headed to the tiny bathroom. She stripped and carefully hung her dry clean only skirt over the top of the shower. A steam clean would have to do. She let the hot spray rain down on her for several minutes before she washed up quickly, the hot water already turning lukewarm. When she got out, she noticed a new toothbrush and floss waiting for her. She finished her nightly routine and then hopped into her waiting bed. She half expected Maria to tuck her in--she seemed to be taking her mother act seriously.

Maria was still awake, flipping through the channels absentmindedly. “Do you want to watch anything?” She tossed her the remote.

“Not really.” Isabel took it and clicked through the channels again. 

They sat there in silence watching _Damn Yankees_ on a classic movie channel, the volume turned down low.

“I’m too keyed up to sleep.” Maria admitted.

“Exciting night?” Isabel looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

Maria blushed. “It was...surprisingly, nice.”

“Michael seemed a little worried.”

“Did you talk to him?”

“I may have given him a little pep talk.”

“Well, whatever you said to him, thank you.” Maria smiled and turned herself onto her side. She reached up and turned off the light between them, but instead of closing her eyes, she kept watching Isabel. “He was so...nice. I kept expecting him to tell me to hurry up, or whine about a game he was missing on TV. When we got back we just went for a walk and then ate ice cream.”

“Sounds wholesome.”

Maria threw a pillow at Isabel’s head and they both laughed. Isabel turned toward Maria and pulled the covers up over her shoulder. The TV illuminated their faces.

“Kyle and I came up with silly fake names and backstories.”

Maria chuckled.

“It was nice to pretend...”

“...To be someone else for a while.”

“Yeah...”

“It’s only been a day, Isabel.” 

Isabel couldn’t make out what Maria meant by that. Her voice had been shaky, but her tone sounded reassuring.

“Not every day is going to this hard.”

“I really hope you’re right, Maria.” Isabel could feel tears slipping down her face.

“What was your name?”

“Bex, short for Rebecca.”

“Sassy.” Maria said breathily.

“It was Kyle’s idea.”

“What was his name?”

“I called him Johnny Football.” Isabel wiped her wet cheek and sniffled.

“Clever.” She let the word roll off her tongue musically. “You want to name me?” She quirked an eyebrow back at Isabel.

Isabel let out a giggle. She couldn’t understand how she could go from crying to laughing so quickly. “Hm...I don’t know. Maria fits you so well.”

“I always hated my name.” She pouted.

“Why?”

“It’s just so...boring. Average.”

Isabel looked at her friend in wonder. “You’re not boring or average.”

“Thanks, Bex.”

Isabel choked out another peal of laughter.

“I think you’re punch drunk, missy”

“I’m so tired I can’t even sleep.” Isabel was crying and laughing simultaneously now. “How about Lola!”

“Lola?” Maria squealed.

“Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets.” Isabel started to hum the chorus of the song. She turned up the volume on the musical. It was the scene where Lola was trying to seduce Joe in the locker room.

Maria jumped out of bed and grabbed Isabel by her hand. They stood and danced on top of the mattress, making a mess of the sheets. They sang loudly and slightly out of tune with Gwen Verdon. They were startled by one of the boys who knocked loudly on their shared wall and yelled at them to keep it down, but it didn’t stop them from finishing the number and falling into a heap of limbs on the bed.

“I’m so tired.” Isabel said with a yawn when she finally caught her breath.

“Me too.” Maria yawned. “I can’t breathe.”

Isabel was too tired to move, which was a problem since she was currently using Maria as a pillow. “Go to sleep.” Isabel whispered as she repositioned herself on the bed. 

Maria was already out like a light. Isabel let her eyes close, her lids heavy, and her heart heavier still. Finally, the world’s longest day had come to an end.


End file.
